Home Hydroponics

Starting Thought - Why Hydroponics? In the last twenty or more years, people have become much more aware of what they are eating and how it was produced. I had a recent conversation with a good friend of mine who could not understand why I was concerned about food safety. His response was that all food is inspected by the government. While a little of this may be true, for the most part, only a very small portion of the food that this country consumes is actually inspected and even worse, little or absolutely nothing is known about the growing conditions. If human nature has anything to do with growing food and making money and I can say as a fact that it does, then your health will not be considered if a crop of expensive vegetables can be saved with pesticides. This is called the bottom line and if you realize this, then you should be concerned how food is produced and what it contains. As a child, I was always amused when my Grandmother always said that when growing a garden you should plan to feed the bugs as well. This statement was actually true, as my Grandmother never used pesticides in any of her gardens and the only bug prevention was picking any obvious bugs off plants which quickly became part of the soil. The chicken manure and kitchen waste provided the only fertilizer the plants ever got. Needless to say as I look back on this, I was never worried about going into that garden and picking a juicy ripe tomato and eating it right there. It never occurred to me to wash it off or even worse, take some soap and water to it! Hydroponics is growing plants in a nutrient solution (water containing fertilizers) with or without the use of a medium. These mediums (discussed in detail later) can be things like sand, gravel, vermiculite, Rockwool, perlite, peat moss and sawdust. The medium is used to provide mechanical support for the plant and to hold nutrient. In almost all cases, the medium does not provide nutrient to the plant it supports and is composed of inert substances that do not react with the plant or the nutrient. Some systems (liquid only) do not use supporting mediums and the roots of the plant are fed by being immersed in the liquid nutrient. Additionally, some systems recycle the nutrient (closed system) and some use the nutrient only once. Finally, some systems borrow from all the above described systems. What type of system is best for you? Hopefully after going through this e book, you can decide what direction you would like to take. You can build your own system with the supplied plans or purchase a commercial system which comes with every thing except the plants. Hopefully you will be as excited as the author is about hydroponics and will enjoy growing fresh vegetables right in your home. Why would anyone want to grow plants using a hydroponics system? There are many answers to this question and if you want to give hydroponics a try, then you probably will agree with some or all of the reasons. The main reason I started in the hobby was the desire to grow my own vegetables and be assured that they did not contain pesticides and other chemicals that are not good for any living thing. I also really enjoyed just watching things grow. And finally, I liked the fact that I was doing something that was interesting and fun! Although the systems are quite simple, they will need your devoted attention at times as all things worth doing are and there is some effort that must be made to obtain those prize vegetables. The world is quickly running out of good quality water and one of the great things is that hydroponics uses only 1/4 (or less) as much water as a garden planted in mother earth. So hydroponics is a great way to save water. The world is also quickly running out of land that can grow crops. Hydroponic gardening can be done anywhere. Large hydroponics sites can and have been built in the middle of a desert and on land that was barren and completely nonproductive. A hydro garden can be built in an apartment in the middle of New York City or on a rooftop. Groups of people in the inner city could grow all the vegetables they could ever eat. Hydroponics is a good, healthy, earth-friendly way to feed the world. Hopefully, you found your reason in all of this and why you want your own system.

Home Hydroponics presents fully illustrated plans for building over a dozen different beautiful, home-based DIY hydroponic growing systems to cultivate your own food indoors.

Hydroponics offers many advantages to traditional soil-based horticulture. These include greater control over many of the limiting factors, such as light, temperature, and pests, as well as the ability to grow plants in all seasons. With instruction from one of the top recognized authorities worldwide, Hydroponics for the Home Grower gives you step-by-step guidance on how to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, arugula, bok choy, and various herbs year-round within your home or in a backyard greenhouse. Read an Interview with Dr. Resh here With Dr. Howard Resh’s help, you’ll learn: Background information on how hydroponics evolved The nutritional and environmental demands of plants and how to control these factors How to provide formulations of nutrients optimal to the plants you wish to grow The many different hydroponic systems you can purchase or build for yourself Designs for different types of greenhouses with components to fit your personal taste and budget Crop selection and step-by-step procedures, including seeding, transplanting, training, pest and disease control, and harvesting—along with when to plant and when to change crops How you can grow microgreens on your kitchen counter The book includes an appendix with sources of seeds and other supplies, along with helpful websites and lists of books, articles, and conferences on growing hydroponically and caring for your crops. By following the guidelines in this book, you’ll understand everything you need to know to get your home-growing operation up and running in no time.

Hydroponic Flowers at Home is an in-depth and comprehensive guide that takes readers on a journey into the world of hydroponics, focusing specifically on the cultivation of stunning flowers. Written with both beginners and experienced growers in mind, this book provides a wealth of knowledge, practical tips, and step-by-step instructions to successfully grow a wide range of flowers using hydroponic systems. The book begins by exploring the history and importance of hydroponics, highlighting its numerous advantages over traditional soil-based gardening. It delves into the science behind hydroponics, explaining how the method works and why it is particularly beneficial for growing flowers. Readers will gain a deep understanding of the different hydroponic systems available, including ebb and flow, DWC, NFT, aeroponics, and more. Each system is thoroughly explained, with insights into their strengths and suitability for flower cultivation. With an emphasis on practicality, the book guides readers through selecting the necessary equipment and tools, choosing the right location within their homes, and understanding the specific needs of different flower varieties. It provides an extensive list of flowers suitable for hydroponic growth, outlining key considerations when selecting the perfect blooms for your garden. Whether you are a novice gardener or an experienced enthusiast, this book will be your trusted companion, guiding you every step of the way as you unlock the secrets of hydroponic flower cultivation and experience the joy of nurturing growth, overcoming challenges, and celebrating the remarkable beauty of hydroponic flowers.

Secrets of successful indoor growing.Hydroponics Indoor Horticulture is the most modern, advanced, and accessible information available to date on indoor gardening.This book reveals the esoteric secrets that are practised and used by the most experienced, seasoned and succesful hydroponic cultivators.In straightforward, easy-to-understand, plain English, this book explains step by step and chapter by chapter, every currently known method and technique for producing super-sized yields and outrageous harvests.

Drawing on the knowledge of an international leader in hydroponic food production, this book reviews many questions associated with hydroponic culture and offers useful suggestions. The questions relate to hydroponic systems, plant varieties, plant nutrition, plant culture, plant disease and pest management, environmental factors, optimum ranges, production and marketing.